All the Creatures

This year, in April, will mark 26 years since the nuclear reactor at Chenobyl melted down and caused the permanent mass evacuation of over 200,000 humans from the surrounding areas.  But what happened to the animals in those areas? Those people were not allowed to take their pets with them, at least that is what I have found out. That stems from the government misleading those people that they would be allowed to return after 3-4 days. That fact we know was untrue. So what happened to the animals?

According to the photo journalist Filatova Elena Vladimirovna who travels into the zones around Chenobyl “wild animals thrive.” Official government sources deny that there are any genetic mutations in the animal populations but she has reported seeing some odd looking “wolves.” Someone brought some “Prejevalsky Horses” (her spelling not mine) to the area a few years ago (in the early 2000’s) and there are now 3 herds of them. To read more about her exploits in the aftermath of Chenobyl, visit her website at elnafilatova.com

Other facts that I gleaned from the internet is that all of the horses (or at least most of them) that were left during the evacuation developed thyroid cancer within days and then died.

You will find a wealth of video information on YouTube about the area and even the news reports of the current government wanting to farm the area now. After tests of the fruit being grown wild in the area now, scientists have found that the plants are now resistant to radiation. My question is, who are they going to get to farm the area? Radiation in the soil is still high enough to kill farmers.

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Have you seen that TV show on Animal Planet that is called Fatal Attractions? It is about people that keep very dangerous pets and often get killed by them. I have not seen the show yet. From the advertisements I have seen about the show, they cover the big cats and other large animals. Let me tell you that domestic livestock can also be deadly, not because of their personality but by their shear size.

Let’s face facts here people, no pet is “safe” to own. Even your pet cat can scratch you and cause an infection. Your pet horse can accidentally step on your foot and break it. A safe pet is almost an oxymoron like jumbo shrimp or safe diet pills. What the show should have been titled is “exotic pet owners and their deadly outcomes.” The problem with the show is that exotic pet owners are probably more aware of their pets habits and dangerous nature than most people who own a “safe” pet. The show plays up the rare case of the pet owner getting killed by their pet. It is more like a freak show type of TV show.

I might watch it just to see if the show is just sensationalism or ? We’ll see.

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Did dragons actually exist at one time? Or are they fabricated legends based on real dinosaurs?

Imagine yourself as a farmer about 1200 years ago in Europe. You can’t read and the only history you are aware of are from the tales that travelers tell about their journeys in foreign lands. You learned how to farm and plant crops from your parents. One day you are digging a new well and while digging, you unearth a huge bone. The bone is longer and larger than anything you have seen before. You keep digging and then you find a skull of a large beast. You have never seen anything like it before. Your imagination runs wild. You do not know that the bones are fossilized and have been there for millions of years. You assume the bones and skull are a recent death. You then tell your neighbors and the story spreads. Soon someone comes to look at the bones and they declare that they are from a fire breathing dragon.

So the myth now spreads and develops. Someone puts together an imaginative tale of how the “dragon” died. Other people find more bones in the same general area and now the tale has grown to a family of dragons in the area. Any missing livestock are now blamed on the dragons in the area. The same thing with fires that mysteriously start in barns (even though they are probably from spontaneous combustion of improperly cured hay).

You can see how legends like dragons could come about.  Each culture around the world has their own stories of dragons. For more fascinating stories about dragons and how each culture has treated them, read “A Little History of Dragons.”

My daughter is a fan of myths and fantasy. She has a wonderful book called Dragonology which she found on sale several years ago. It is a blend of myth, legend and pure fantasy based on historical finds.

So next time someone talks about a mythical creature, think to yourself that it probably has some basis in fact.

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